What is a “wetland buffer”?
Wetlands are protected areas that are saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently. They are important for stormwater mitigation and are highly regulated by the State.
The first step in planning Stonecrop Meadows was to understand if and where there were wetlands. An environmental consultant “delineated” (aka mapped) the wetland and, because it was a certain type of wetland, the wetland restriction required the identification of a 50 foot “wetland buffer”. The wetland could not be impacted without a special permit, and the wetland buffer could only be impacted to the extent it has historically been impacted: namely as a hay field that experienced 3 mowings each growing season.
Where is the “wetland buffer”?
On the Stonecrop Meadows site plan below, the wetland is shaded in blue. The area shaded in green represents the 50 foot wetland buffer.
In the community, the border of the wetland buffer is marked by boulders and bird feeders at regular intervals.
Can I go in the “wetland buffer”?
Yes! While no homeowner nor the HOA can build anything or impact the soils in any way, we are free to walk there and do other recreational activities like throw a football or baseball.
We cannot add stakes, signs, or cairns to create a walking path, but if one naturally occurs, great!
We cannot mow it more often than 3 times per year, so it’ll never be a great soccer field.